The Magpies head for Villa Park tomorrow teatime with memories still fresh of their stormy 3-0 Premier League win over Villa at St James’ Park on Boxing Day, during which Tindall and the visitors’ analyst Victor Manas were both sent off during a 20-man half-time melee in the tunnel.
Manas was later handed a two-match ban and fined after admitting his part in the incident, while a Football Association charge of acting in an improper manner against Tindall, who will be at the helm once again with head coach Eddie Howe still recovering from pneumonia, was found not proven.
Asked if he would shake hands with Emery before kick-off, Tindall said: “I’ve said before, I’ll always offer my hand for the opposition manager.
“When you are playing a game, all you want to do is win. That is how I have always been. I’m very passionate. That’s the only thing that crosses your mind during battle. It’s a frustrating game at times.
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“I’ll certainly hold my hand out and if he wants to shake it, I am sure he will.”
If tempers were frayed on Tyneside four months ago, minds will be focused this time around with the Magpies looking for a seventh successive win in all competitions and a sixth in the league, a sequence of results which has catapulted them into third place in the table.
Villa, who gave Paris St Germain a scare when they won 3-2 in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday evening to slip out of the competition 5-4 on aggregate, head into the weekend four places and five points worse off.
However, they have won their last four league games and have lost only once on home soil in the competition all season, and that to Arsenal in August.
Newcastle, buoyed by impressive back-to-back home wins over Manchester United and Crystal Palace in the last week, will need to be at their pugnacious best if they are to emerge with something to show for their efforts and in that respect, the combative Tindall could find himself centre-stage again.
Asked about his reputation, he said: “I just do my job the best I possibly can day in, day out. I don’t really take too much notice of what people say or what people think. I’ve said that and that remains the case.
“Certainly people that don’t know me if they want to talk about me, then that’s fine. But all I’m here to do is do the best job I can for this football club and I’ll continue to do that for as long as I’m here.”
The Magpies, who have fielded the same starting XI in each of the last six games, have no fresh selection problems ahead of a key fixture.
